4 ms·

I always find it strange when people refer to twitter and YouTube etc as apps rather than websites.

9dev 5mo ago
That's what they are by now, though. The websites of social media sites are crippled and bug-ridden - try using Instagram in a browser, for example. They want to coerce you into using their apps, because that gives them better tracking opportunities.
- ben_w 5mo ago
  Sometimes. YouTube (and Google Maps, and old.reddit.com but not default reddit) I find to be better on the website than the app.
- klondike_klive 5mo ago
  That's just what I've been doing after deleting Instagram from my. phone. I can't trust my evening dopamine-seeking behaviour with the phone app, but there's much much less stickiness in the browser.
  - slumberlust 5mo ago
    Tried greyscale yet?
    - klondike_klive 5mo ago
      Yes, it does help. But it's too easily switched off. I basically have to be my own worst enemy I have to order to prevent myself from being my own worst enemy!
  - mghackerlady 5mo ago
    Have you tried just not using a smartphone? I have a flip phone I take with me and leave my iPhone at home for things that need it. Otherwise, I carry my laptop/tablet everywhere. If I need to check my social media or email I have to sit down and deliberately do that
    - klondike_klive 5mo ago
      I've been resisting this for various reasons. Parking apps, maps, camera, podcast app, many many timers, and banking apps are all phone functions I use quite often and I can't see obvious ways around them which don't involve lots of other gubbins which I will inevitably lose or forget. I could possibly uninstall everything but the absolute necessities on a smartphone for when I need it, and otherwise carry a flip phone. Maybe use the flip phone for tethering so the smartphone doesn't need a Sim card. But it seems that might be introducing lot of extra stress into my life, especially for stressful jobs like parking before a meeting, keeping up to date with clients, etc
nunez 5mo ago
Lol try using those sites in your browser. You’ll see why they’re typically called apps real quick.
- addaon 5mo ago
  It’s funny, I’ve never installed any of the apps because I figured if, with all their engineering, they can’t even build a usable website, why would I trust their native code?
folkrav 5mo ago
My 8yo keeps calling any piece of software he can run an "app", regardless of it being on a computer, a website, or a mobile device. I object to it out of principle, old man yelling at clouds style. But fundamentally, it's just code I interact with to do something, I'm just used to using different terminology for each runtime. The term website came about right before we really had anything interactive on the W3, describing something rather static. All this to say, we're both right and wrong in feeling this way lol

9dev 5mo ago

That's what they are by now, though. The websites of social media sites are crippled and bug-ridden - try using Instagram in a browser, for example. They want to coerce you into using their apps, because that gives them better tracking opportunities.

ben_w 5mo ago
Sometimes. YouTube (and Google Maps, and old.reddit.com but not default reddit) I find to be better on the website than the app.
klondike_klive 5mo ago
That's just what I've been doing after deleting Instagram from my. phone. I can't trust my evening dopamine-seeking behaviour with the phone app, but there's much much less stickiness in the browser.
- slumberlust 5mo ago
  Tried greyscale yet?
  - klondike_klive 5mo ago
    Yes, it does help. But it's too easily switched off. I basically have to be my own worst enemy I have to order to prevent myself from being my own worst enemy!
- mghackerlady 5mo ago
  Have you tried just not using a smartphone? I have a flip phone I take with me and leave my iPhone at home for things that need it. Otherwise, I carry my laptop/tablet everywhere. If I need to check my social media or email I have to sit down and deliberately do that
  - klondike_klive 5mo ago
    I've been resisting this for various reasons. Parking apps, maps, camera, podcast app, many many timers, and banking apps are all phone functions I use quite often and I can't see obvious ways around them which don't involve lots of other gubbins which I will inevitably lose or forget. I could possibly uninstall everything but the absolute necessities on a smartphone for when I need it, and otherwise carry a flip phone. Maybe use the flip phone for tethering so the smartphone doesn't need a Sim card. But it seems that might be introducing lot of extra stress into my life, especially for stressful jobs like parking before a meeting, keeping up to date with clients, etc

nunez 5mo ago

Lol try using those sites in your browser. You’ll see why they’re typically called apps real quick.

addaon 5mo ago
It’s funny, I’ve never installed any of the apps because I figured if, with all their engineering, they can’t even build a usable website, why would I trust their native code?

folkrav 5mo ago

My 8yo keeps calling any piece of software he can run an "app", regardless of it being on a computer, a website, or a mobile device. I object to it out of principle, old man yelling at clouds style. But fundamentally, it's just code I interact with to do something, I'm just used to using different terminology for each runtime. The term website came about right before we really had anything interactive on the W3, describing something rather static. All this to say, we're both right and wrong in feeling this way lol